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Hardware and the Fine Print

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

The entertaining legislature in my home state of Arizona is once again providing hours of amusement for the entire family. Their latest Kaufmanesque jokestunt: approving a measure that would allow guns in bars. Oh, and did I mention it's in the wake of a highly publicized gun murder of ASU footballer Brandon Falkner? No? Well now I did. Hey, maybe if he'd had had a gun like a good Arizona clubgoer, the other guy would be dead instead.

"The shooting death of Brandon Falkner outside of a Scottsdale club is an example of what happens when you mix guns and bars," said Rep. David Lujan, D-Phoenix, who dedicated his opposition to the memory of Falkner. "Tempers, testosterone and alcohol are dangerous enough. Add firearms and the tragedies are inevitable."

Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, who led support of the measure, said the bill is about protecting the right to bear arms and the property rights of restaurant owners to allow or disallow guns in their establishments.

"Voting against this in memorial to somebody is a red herring," said Farnsworth, R-Gilbert. "The reality is that individual who was shot was in a parking lot and wasn't even in the bar. When you look at all the facts, it's amazing how the story changes."

Link to Arizona Republic story. I'd expect the passage of this bill to result in increased damage to saloon ceilings as Arizonans hoot and fire into the air at the sight of burlesque song-and-dance numbers.